Happy Birthday Nico!
by UnwieldyInk
Summary: Just a little birthday fic! Because I love my boy!


"Nico," a voice whispered. "Nico! Wake up!"

Nico groaned, rolling over and blinking groggily at the humanoid figure at his bedside. As his eyes adjusted to the light, curly hair and golden eyes came into view. "Hazel?" Nico sat up with effort. "What're you doing here?"

Hazel grinned at him. "Happy Birthday, brother."

Realization slowly dawned on Nico. "Oh, Hazel, you didn't have to come all the way across the country just for that." But he climbed out of bed and quickly squeezed Hazel, kissing her cheek in greeting. She laughed.

"What, you mean you're not happy to see me?"

"No, I didn't mean that!"

Hazel laughed again. "I'm just teasing, Nico. Now get dressed, the others are waiting outside."

"Others?" Nico asked. "Why is everyone else here? What are we-?" Hazel slipped out of the door before he could even finish asking, a sly smile on her face.

Nico pulled on some clothes as quickly as he could, a nervous feeling growing in his stomach. How did they even know it was his birthday, anyways? Nico didn't remember ever telling anyone. It honestly had never crossed his mind.

So when he slipped out of his cabin to face a whole group of his friends smiling up at him, Nico was shocked. They cheered when he first came out, waving at him and calling him down. Nico descended his cabin steps nervously. When he reached the ground, they started singing.

Nico stared, dumbfounded, at this group of deadly half-gods who had seen monsters and wars before- and were now gathered together singing _Happy Birthday_ to him. It was almost impossible to comprehend.

When they finished, they all looked to Nico expectantly. He stuttered out a "thanks", and then added: "But you didn't have to come all this way just for me."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Come on, dude, it's your birthday! Of course we were going to come celebrate!"

Nico shrugged, but was tugged along when the group started moving. Will Solace emerged at his side and linked his arm through Nico's.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly, his eyes shining.

"I've already heard that at least fifty times and I literally woke up ten minutes ago," Nico replied, deadpan.

"Oh, quit being a Scrooge about it. We just love you, is all." Hazel said from the other side of Nico.

"Whatever," Nico mumbled, but he couldn't help the smile creeping on his face.

The whole troupe arrived at the dining hall shortly, and feasted on pancakes and muffins. Nico got to just sit and talk, catch up with everyone he hadn't seen in a while (he actually initiated the hug with Reyna, nearly knocking her over, which surprised everyone there including himself). It was already the best birthday he'd ever had and it wasn't even eleven o'clock yet. Although, Nico thought, that wasn't exactly a very high bar.

Nico shook the negative thoughts from his head. Everyone was together, and there was no impending doom. He couldn't remember the last time that had happened. Wasn't that reason enough to celebrate?

Nico really would have been happy to just sit and listen, but everyone seemed to have it in their heads that it would be fun to go swimming. So, somehow, he found himself kicking and splashing alongside everyone else in the Long Island Sound (for about twenty minutes, that is. After that, he sat on the shore with Reyna and talked).

Once everyone was back on the shore, they gathered in the Hades cabin to play various games. Nico kept expecting someone to get up and leave, but they never did. It was astounding- he couldn't remember the last time someone sacrificed an entire day just to spend with him. Will had taken off a day from the infirmary just for this.

So there Nico sat, his hand linked with Will's and Hazel leaning up against him, for hours, playing paranoia and twister and telling stories and watching the worst movies they could think of. Nico thought it might get old quickly, but somehow, they never ran out of things to talk about, even though it had only been a month since they had all been together. Dinner came, and Nico was presented with a dark chocolate cake with little fondant skeletons dancing on the top. It was just ridiculous enough to somehow come out the other end and become surprisingly sincere. Nico was serenaded with Happy Birthday once again, which he found unnecessary because they had already sung it this morning. However, this time, it wasn't just Nico's friends who sung- people from other tables picked it up, too, until even people Nico knew were deathly afraid of him were singing along. It was like he had entered another plane of existence.

After dinner, campers gathered around the campfire, and Annabeth announced that it was present time.

"Presents?" Nico asked. "For me?"

"Well, duh," Piper responded. "It's your birthday."

Percy's brows furrowed. "Hey, have you ever gotten birthday presents before?"

"Not that I remember," Nico replied.

"Birthday cake?"

"I had a piece of yours once."

"Besides that," Percy said.

Nico shook his head.

"Have you ever had a birthday party at all?" Will asked.

Nico shook his head again. When his friends casted vaguely uncomfortable looks at each other, Nico spoke up. "But that's okay. It just means that this is the best one I've ever had."

Hazel smiled tentatively. "Right," she said. "Well, um, anyways, I was hoping you would open mine first?" She handed him a blue gift bag.

Despite many of his friends apologizing in advance and saying that they "didn't know what to get him", Nico was delighted by the gifts: A detailed picture of himself and Hazel from his sister (along with, inexplicably, cactus socks), a homemade scrapbook from Will, a vintage record player from Reyna.

But Percy's present was the best of all. When he set on Nico's lap a small box with an intricate bow that he couldn't possibly have wrapped himself, Nico didn't know what to expect. He lifted the lid off of the box and peered inside, and the contents left him at a loss for words.

It was a Camp Half Blood necklace, with the leather loop sporting three beads. One of them was green, with a yellow maze zig-zagging across. One of them had a little empire state building, with names encircling it. And the last one was a swirl of purple and orange, with a pegasus inside of a laurel. Nico recognized them immediately- the three years that he had fought for Camp Half Blood.

Stunned, Nico looked up at Percy, who just shrugged in response. "I noticed you never got one," he explained. Nico looked back down into the box. He picked up the necklace gingerly, as if he was afraid it would combust if he wasn't careful with it. He tied it around his neck, then swallowed hard and looked back up at Percy.

"Thanks." Nico's voice sounded pinched. Percy smiled.

They stayed up late that night, busting out someone's secret candy stash and playing a game of truth or dare that almost ended in the Hades cabin catching on fire. When Nico finally fell asleep long after midnight, watching the sleeping bags that littered the cabin floor, he ran his fingers over the beads on his neck, and nestled a little further into Will's arms.

And it really was the best birthday he'd ever had.


End file.
